Plenary 2: Public health in the era of misinformation and disinformation 

Wednesday 12 November, 18:00 – 19:00 Helsinki time 

Organised by European Public Health Association (EUPHA)

 

Background

The plenary will serve as a wake-up call to Europe’s public health community, institutions, and decision-makers. We will address but go beyond the issue of mis- and disinformation to tackle the systemic erosion of trust, funding, and democratic support for public health. 

Objectives

  • To examine the systemic crises facing European public health - misinformation, disinvestment, and the erosion of democratic support - and their impact on trust and resilience.
  • To mobilise and equip the public-health community to counter misinformation, strengthen communication capacities, and defend evidence-informed policymaking.

Format

The session will confront political and structural challenges while inspiring long-term action to protect Europe’s public-health systems and democratic values. Through live Slido engagement, participants will be invited to reflect on their own communication habits, biases, and ways of building or losing trust.

Key focus areas

  • Controversy, uncertainty and disinformation. The plenary will deep dive in the distinctions between scientific controversies, misinformation, disinformation, and politically or commercially motivated distortion. It will address the responsibility of the public-health community to rethink communication strategies, moving beyond facts alone and embracing empathy, emotion, and peer-to-peer narratives to reach diverse audiences. Political polarisation: an overlooked determinant of health
  • Human and societal cost of inaction. The session will highlight the human and societal consequences of disinvestment, and its effects on crisis preparedness, ageing populations, and public trust. Arms industry as a commercial determinant of health. It will explore why evidence-based policies often fail to gain traction, and how misinformation and conspiracy narratives, amplified by political and algorithmic forces, shape public perceptions.

The plenary will conclude with a call to EU institutions, Member States, and public-health professionals to fund, support, and trust the public-health movement.

It will showcase practical and inspiring examples. This closing message will serve as a call for united leadership and strong civil-society voices, emphasising the need to move from a defensive posture to proactive empowerment. It will highlight how public health advocates can be equipped with the tools to engage emotionally and culturally with diverse audiences, and rally the community around new narrative approaches such as peer-to-peer communication, youth-focused storytelling, and innovative media formats.

Moderators:

Speakers/Panellists:

  • Götz Gottschalk, Head of Health, YouTube DE (Google) & Strategy & Operations Lead, YouTube Health EMEA (Google)
  • Seema Yasmin, Emmy Award-winning journalist, Clinical Assistant Professor, Medicine, Stanford University, United States (participation via online stream)
  • Sanna Vesikansa, Crisis Services MIELI Mental Health, Finland
  • Monika Kosinska, Cross-Cutting Lead Economic and Commercial Determinants of Health, World Health Organization